Oh, boo hoo ...

So Heath Ledger didn't get Best Actor and Brokeback mountain wasn't Best Film. Big deal.

What matters here is that everyone involved in the making of the film know they were doing something good; validation in the form of awards should be secondary to that knowledge. I won't argue that recognition from the industry as a whole is a bad thing, but I'm still amazed at the perceived significance of the Oscar. By the time that particular ceremony comes around, there's been so many other awards heaped upon the best of the year's films that I find it difficult to care - it's no longer the apotheosis, more like a final attempt to squeeze some more money out of the punters.

Add to that the amount of networking and general marketing that is supposed to go on (Miramax has previously come in for a lot of criticism for its aggressive manner in this regard) and it devalues the whole occasion anyway. If the voters aren't so much swayed by the content of the films as that of a gift hamper, say, then the only people deserving of an award are the promoters.